The Alpine Kindred

Small-town newspaper editor Emma Lord is on the trail of the murderer of a pompous philanthropist in Daheim's 11th mystery (the alphabetical series began with The Alpine Advocate). The eccentric residents of Alpine, Wash., are abuzz over the arrival of a Swedish au pair and the discovery of gold nuggets at a construction site. Then major news occurs: local bigwig Einar Rasmussen Jr. is found stabbed to death, with lipstick on his collar. Emma's gossipy sidekick, Vida Runkel, can't keep her nose out of the murder investigation and nearly gets killed for her pains, while Sheriff Milo Dodge is taciturn and uncooperative because Emma has ended their affair--so Emma must investigate alone. Although the mystery builds little steam and the resolution isn't entirely satisfying, witty one-liners and amusing characterizations keep the story interesting. (Jan.)